He has created an astonishing record in the history of car sales and was
rightfully declared as the “No. 1 Car Salesperson in Japan.” Sojyu
Inoue, 60, who works in the Toyota sales office of Toranomon, Tokyo,
Japan has to date, achieved an all time sales record of 5,700 units of
cars. In business of car trade, a salesperson is considered “good” if
he is able to sell 48 units of cars a year. A “very capable”
salesperson would reach a target of 60 units a year. On the average,
even if one sells as many as 60 units a year, he will take up to 95
years to achieve the impressive record of 5,700 units. Amazingly, Inoue
has sold 5,700 units within a relatively short period of 30 years!

Inoue’s achievement is even more remarkable when considered in the light
of market report for the year 2003. From the trade statistics, the
registration of new cars (inclusive of all passenger and small cars) in
Japan was 4.3 million units in 1990. The figure dropped to 3 million in
2000. There was a decrease of more than 30% throughout the last
decade.

Despite the odds, Inoue was able to maintain his sales record of 200
units a year and he even hit his all time high of selling more than 300
units a year. Despite the bad times for the car market, his sales
actually increased.

What was the secret of his outstanding performance? Inoue attributed his success to the three “secrets” he held:
Setting high targets
Courage and high spirits
Prompt action and response to the situation

“When your target is low, your performance will drop. But when your
outlook is nailed at higher targets, you will set off with the
determination to achieve that target. This is very crucial. Moreover,
customers are always impressed by a salesperson who sounds encouraging
and cheerful. We are humans and would naturally love to foster pleasant
human relationship. A cheerful salesperson puts others at ease and can
convince the customers. This is human nature!”

“Apart from that, being effective is very important. Prompt response
will mirror your sincerity. Therefore, a salesperson should maintain
good rapport with the manufacturing and service divisions of the
company. Excellent human relationships will prove to be invaluable when
there is an emergency or when urgent assistance is needed.”

How did Inoue develop these qualities?

“From Soka Gakkai of course! I was determined to wholeheartedly put into practice, the guidance of SGI President Daisaku Ikeda.

During my youth, I was a Young Men’s Division chapter leader for 12
years. Throughout this period, I fought with my entire life.”

Never Regress Even a Little

Inoue was born in Kanuma City, Tochigi Prefecture. He took up a car
maintenance and repair course from a professionally recognised institute
in Tokyo. Upon his graduation, he was employed by his present company
and was assigned to the service division.

Through the introduction of a friend from his hometown, Inoue took faith
in Nichiren Buddhism in 1962 when he was 19. In 1968, being a member
of the Soka Gakkai Young Men’s Division, he had the opportunity to take a
commemorative photo with President Ikeda. His dream was fulfilled in
his first encounter with his mentor. His heart burned with the passion
of youth.

“After the photo-taking session, Mr. Ikeda told me that there is
infinite potential in a human being. I was convinced that as long as I
had faith, my life would be geared towards a promising future.”

He resolved to be the most outstanding person in his field of
endeavour. This was the driving force that led him to become the top
salesperson in Japan.

At 28, he was transferred from the service division to the sales
division. His cheerful disposition made him stand out in his job.

Every Person is Important

However, it was never easy for Inoue to juggle between his career and
Soka Gakkai activities. This is true even up to today. However, Inoue
always chants with the determination of “never retreating” as he strives
to create the greatest value with his time.

A former manager of Inoue who knows him well recalls, “For an ordinary
person with a typical time management skills, it is impossible to
produce such excellent result on a consistent basis. He must have
utilized much more wisdom than others in using his time effectively.
These efforts were never obvious from appearance.”

Inoue’s forte is his excellent rapport with his customers. For a
typical trading business with 300 customers, it seems sensible to be
able to maintain good customer service and good results, but the number
of customers under Inoue’s account is over 1,500.

With only 24 hours a day, how was Inoue able to maintain good relations with his huge network of customers?

Besides discussing about cars with his customers, Inoue actually spend a
lot of time discussing affairs of daily life with his customers.
Through their conversations, for instance, if he knew that his customer
was not feeling well, he would recommend effective remedies that he had
learned from his friends in the medical profession. When a customer was
involved in a traffic accident and faced difficulties in solving the
case, he would volunteer to assist. In short, he shows painstaking
concern and care for all his customers.

Hence, his relationships with his customers are rock sturdy. When
friends or relative of customers intend to purchase a car, Inoue is the
first person that would cross their minds.

Some of his earlier clients who had prospered in their business also
provided Inoue with business. Some of them purchased large quantity of
cars up to 50 or 100 units from him for their companies.

“To me, this is the manifestation of the outlook that “each person is equally important” as taught in Soka Gakkai.”

In the office where Inoue worked, there was one particular wastebasket
layered with a plastic bag. That was the dustbin beside Inoue’s desk.
The cleaning lady layered it as a gesture of appreciation to Inoue, who
never failed to warmly greet her everyday. Occasionally, Inoue also
give her tokens of appreciation for her assistance.

Inoue confidently says, “This might sound a bit like blowing my own
trumpet, but I could grasp the basic personality and character of a
customer through a brief ten-minute conversation.”

It is not how much time we spend in each encounter, but whether we could
treasure every single person we meet. Business magazines introduced
Inoue as a person who “surmounted the recession” and as “the best car
salesperson in Japan.”

It is not a surprise that he is a much-wanted employee. Established
corporations from various sectors other than car companies including
departmental stores, publishing firms as well as rent and lease
companies have all tried to rope him in to their fold. He has often
been invited by the universities to speak to business students on his
trading philosophy.

The following words are written inside Inoue’s business dairy: “Life is
like a battle between life and death. There is no other alternative but
to fight this battle, through endless painstaking efforts.”

The moment we say, “This is enough,” is when we are contented with our
present situation, and marks the beginning of our “defeat.”

“In fact, all these are Mr. Ikeda’s guidance published in the Seikyo
Shimbun,” Inoue explains. “The contents of Seikyo Shimbun touch
people’s lives and are inspiring. It is my daily source of life-force.
I will be left with nothing if Mr. Ikeda’s guidance is taken away from
me.”

Employer Does Not Want Him to Quit

As a tribute to the contribution of the company’s sales personnel, those
who could surpass the sales target of 3,000 units will have their names
inscribed for posterity on a stone-tablet at the office.

Nevertheless, Inoue remains modest about his achievements. He continues
to strive for higher goals to achieve 6,000 and then to go on to
achieve 7,000. Certainly, his employer would never want him to retire.
Hence, a year before his compulsory retirement age, his company
promoted him to be a Director, with remunerations of an executive
director. Such promotion is the first of its kind for a salesperson in
the history of the car industry.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

In 1986, I was at my bottom of my life, which I seem can't get out of my family karma. Eric
Yeo reintroduced me back to gohonzon, I started chanting & activities, not
very long a master printer approached me, asked me to join Singapore Press Holdings,
amazing things started to happen, which was near my house and sponsored me Nitec
II in Printing, very fast they called me master printer because I can solve
problems, many work much longer then me, can't solved.

In my younger days when I was a few years old I observed the old bicycle shop man, how he repaired the bicycle and repaired my own bicycle, I am able to put into good use through the power of gohonzon.

My bicycle skills was featured in various medias

Growing up as our family were poor, so we got to repair my bicycles, as I trained difficult, feats as the bicycle damaged often, I had not much money to repair it often. Setting and lubricating a bicycle to the optimal condition, so that it can be cycle in a difficult condition in the grass, with the minimal of strengthI chanted one hour per
day, when I started to work there, controlling the web machines at the ground floor, controlling up to 4 machines, which feed the web up to the upper floor printing machines,
other printers usually controlled only 2 machines every day sure got one web break, for one month the machines surprisingly that I controlled got no web break at
all, then I moved up to the upper floor, they saw my skills, usually they
assigned me the jobs that need the most critical skills of all, repairing and
maintaining the machinery in the best conditions.

Because of my background of repairing my own bicycles and vigorous training in Upper Aljunied Technical School between 1974 to 1977. I had work various technical jobs during my school vacations and after I had graduated from UATS I worked nearly a year as a welder, welding windows grilles and gates etc, I was appointed to set the printing rollers and maintenance of the machines.

At Upper Aljunied Technical School

The final 9 months of my NTC course every I got to repair, setting the printing rollers and lubricating the machineries.

From 1987 the company made $70 millions net,
when I joined, and when I left the company, it made $250 millions net at 1991.

I was awarded the Printer of the Year, I got a call from Singapore Press Holdings journalist in 1990, she took some photos of me, and told me I received the Suggestion award and given a token for my suggestions, which was published in the Singapore Press Holdings newsletter.

Soon after 2 years I started chanting after sleeping in the street for
20 over years, I am able to buy a 3 room flat even at that time it was
impossible for me to buy, but through the gohonzon power I able to buy it.

In
Toyota, where I work at night and trade stock in the
morning, I always every night used the special lubricant cans with the tube pointing to the most
critical area of the cars, the ball bearings, so the every morning the
mechanic know what to do to lubricate the most important parts of the
cars, which make lot of different. In working in Toyota, the period I chanted around 2 hours of daimoku per day for a second baby, my prayer were answered in 2005.Which through my years of experiences and experimenting with various chemical, which I found out why machinery don't run as before after sometimes and the effective process of solving it. I estimated Toyota spent $3000 to award me free meals everyday. The oxidations of the machineries after it got contact with water made it difficult to run and need regularly lubricating it with the right chemical.

When owners came to pick up their vehicles, and
when they drive out, they found out what a big different, when I joined Toyota in
2000 they made around $20 million net, when I left later in
2004 they made $100 millions net, nearly every morning the lady Toyota Senior Claim Advisor brought breakfast and cooked for me free, I estimated they spent around $3K appointing the lady to do it.When I joined them The
Bodycare Centre at Leng Kee Road, not many cars came for maintenance,
slowly early in the morning long line of cars queuing in the morning,
many Toyota staff from around the world came here to study how come this
place was so profitable, in 2000 they were behind Nissan, when I left they
earn much more than Nissan, the power of gohonzon is truly amazing.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Laura's Sick Brother
I was eight years old in 1968, when my father introduced our entire
family to Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. He was a carpenter and my mother took
care of three boys and four girls. We lived in a one bedroom apartment
in Panama. My brother, Osvaldo, had been born with a tumor between his
right ear and his brain. Every day he grew sicker and sicker. The
doctors said Osvaldo's tumor was inoperable and he could not live much
longer. My mother did the only thing that she could — she chanted almost
day and night and shed many tears. My brothers and sisters chanted with
her, but Osvaldo just got worse. He passed out frequently and sometimes
did not even recognize us.
He wanted to be like other children
and go to school. One of my mother's friends, who was a teacher,
accepted Osvaldo in her class. One day he passed out in her classroom.
She drove him to the hospital but the doctors could not revive him. They
pulled off all ten of his toenails, but there was no reaction. After
pronouncing him dead they wrapped him for the morgue. My mother refused
to let them take him away. She sat next to him and chanted
"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" in his ear. Suddenly, Osvaldo woke up and asked
what was happening. His toenails started to bleed. The doctors were
amazed. After this, no matter what, my parents never stopped chanting.
My father made a butsudan, even though we could not receive the Gohonzon
at that time. My mother took the water she offered to the Mystic Law
and let Osvaldo drink all but a drop of it. She put the remaining drop
in his right ear.
Osvaldo wanted to put the drop in his own ear.
She let him. In a few weeks, he told her that he had something in his
ear. She thought he was teasing. Ten minutes later, he pulled something
big but soft out of his ear. It looked like a meatball with tiny roots
hanging from it. Doctors examined him, took x-rays, asked other doctors
to look and him again and again but could not find any trace of the
tumor. The doctors said that he removed his own tumor without pain,
surgery or even a single drop of blood. Today my brother is 37 years
old. He has five children of his own. My mother received the Gohonzon on
Jan. 27, 1969. A year later she bought a new house. Our whole family
continues to practice Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism and fight with the
SGI for kosen rufu.
No matter what, I will never stop
practicing. I will continue to chant "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" until the
last moment of my life. I will continue to work for kosen rufu every
day.
(This experience was given at a Washington DC Kosen Rufu Gongyo)